A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Prepare for impact

When I played sports, there were plenty of collisions that provided ample opportunities for injury. If you were lucky, you saw the opponent coming and were able to brace yourself for impact.

By Heather Gillis Harris

Wicked Local

By Heather Gillis Harris

Posted Dec. 10, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Dec 10, 2013 at 10:17 AM

By Heather Gillis Harris

Posted Dec. 10, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Dec 10, 2013 at 10:17 AM

Canton

» Social News

When I played sports, there were plenty of collisions that provided ample opportunities for injury. If you were lucky, you saw the opponent coming and were able to brace yourself for impact.

If given enough time, when a soccer ball came rocketing at you there was time to tighten the abdominal muscles to trap the soccer ball to avoid ending up like Harry Houdini.

Two of my broken noses were from elbows I never saw coming when driving down the lane in basketball. A concussion was courtesy of a teammate who lobbed a ball at my head when I wasn’t looking.

And my knee.

The times I hurt my knee were possibly the worst. Both times it involved a player plowing into me, tearing precious tendons that ended any chance of going farther than Div. III collegiate athletics.

I never considered I would get hurt. It wasn’t feasible that I could injure myself to the point where I needed crutches for basic mobility.

Maybe it was because I was filled with trust.

I trusted my body to withstand whatever I threw at it because I put in the hours to protect it.

I worked hard to be in shape. I spent the extra hours at the gym lifting weights. I ran those three miles after practice so I could build endurance. Needless to say I felt prepared.

But what I created was a false sense of security. I neglected to take into account that there is little we can control.

We can’t control when our company downsizes and there are layoffs. Or when you start a relationship with someone and you think it’s going swell, only to have them tell you to buzz off just as you let your guard down.

There is no caution sign for the car that crashes into a telephone pole after skidding out on black ice. And there is never time to prepare for when your five-year-old daughter throws up on you after you’ve gotten dressed for work.

I don’t know why but I’m still shocked when I get sucker-punched. You would think my abdominals would naturally firm up in anticipation of oncoming disasters. But nope, I’m never aware.

It’s usually when things seem to level off that the proverbial manure hits the fan.

But that is life. You either accept it for its lack of consistency or make yourself crazy trying to control the outcome.

All I can do is throw the uniform back on, even if I have to wear a knee brace, and try my best.

I can’t protect my body from germs any better than I can protect my heart from hurt.

But to hide under a veil of sanitizer or shut out love, I’m not willing to live like that.

It isn’t always easy to accept, and there are times I just want to stay in bed and get up. But for whatever reason I do.

Because maybe, just maybe, the day will provide me with a new experience. It might be bad, it might be good…but I only need so much sleep.

Heather Harris is reporter for the Norton Mirror, Mansfield News and Easton Journal. A three-sport high school athlete and two-sport college athlete, sports have long been a passion of hers. The mother of two can be seen keeping it real in Mansfield, where she resides. Heather Harris can be reached at hharris@wickedlocal.com